Unexplained rash? Check your iPad. It turns out the popular tablet computer may contain nickel, one of the most common allergy-inducing metals, FoxNews reported.
Recent reports in medical journals detail nickel allergies from a variety of personal electronic devices, including laptops and cellphones. But it was an Apple iPad that caused an itchy body rash in an 11-year-old boy recently treated at a San Diego hospital, according to a report in Monday's Pediatrics.
Nickel rashes aren't life-threatening but they can be very uncomfortable, and they may require treatment with steroids and antibiotics if the skin eruptions become infected.
The boy had a common skin condition that causes scaly patches, but he developed a different rash all over his body that didn't respond to usual treatment. Skin testing showed he had a nickel allergy, and doctors traced it to an iPad his family had bought in 2010.
Doctors tested the device and detected a chemical compound found in nickel in the iPad's outside coating.
Apple spokesman Chris Gaither said the company had no comment.
Nickel rashes also have been traced to other common products including some jewelry, eyeglass frames and zippers.
National data show that about 25 percent of children who get skin tests for allergies have nickel allergies, versus about 17 percent a decade ago.
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